A Zen Buddhist, Security Professional, Paramedic using multimedia to document the journey.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Random Thoughts From Turkey

A Turkish woman sells bags of oranges at the site of some ancient Roman ruins. At first I didn't like the fence between us, but now think it adds something to the photo.

I spent the last week exploring parts of Turkey, country where I have very little experience. Most of my time was spent in the south along the Mediterranean Sea, but I was able to eek out a couple of days in Istanbul as well.Here are some general observations as I sit in Paris' Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) on my way back to Atlanta.

The first thing that comes to mind is Turkey is the cleanest country I've ever seen. I watched a man collect up a random piece of trash on a subway car, exit the car at a station simply to throw it away in the garbage bin, and then reenter the car to continue his journey.

Turkish is an evil language that resemblances no other form of communication used on this planet. I felt like a complete foreigner, unable to conjure up even the most basic of phrases.

The history of Istanbul is staggering. I should have read "Istanbul For Dummies" before I arrived.

The towns along the Mediterranean are replete with oddly dressed Russian tourists. I felt as if I were thrust back into the 1970's.

Turkish men are oddly pear-shaped.

Everyone wants to sell you something. It's starts off with a innocent shared experience of tea and then progresses to more pricey items.

Turkish Airlines cornered the market on turquoise leather seats.

Turkish food is very good but you may have to struggle to find a good bottle of wine.

Taxis are way over-priced, but in they are all relatively new and painted the same shade of "taxi-yellow".

Turkey is a progressive Muslim country, which I thought would be a good model for others to strive towards. People simply practiced their own beliefs and let others do the same, always being respectful toward one another.